Business Week - Google Buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal
An early indication of the building blocks that would become Android. This Business Week article was published in August of 2005.
The search giant quietly acquires the startup, netting possibly a key player in its push into wireless, “the next frontier in search”
In what could be a key move in its nascent wireless strategy, Google has quietly acquired startup Android Inc., BusinessWeek Online has learned. The 22-month-old startup, based in Palo Alto, Calif., brings to Google a wealth of talent, including co-founder Andy Rubin, who previously started mobile-device maker Danger Inc.
Android has operated under a cloak of secrecy, so little is known about its work. Rubin & Co. have sparingly described the outfit as making software for mobile phones, providing little more detail than that. One source familiar with the company says Android had at one point been working on a software operating system for cell phones.
SEEKING A MOBILE EDGE. In a 2003 interview with BusinessWeek, just two months before incorporating Android, Rubin said there was tremendous potential in developing smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner’s location and preferences. “If people are smart, that information starts getting aggregated into consumer products,” said Rubin.
Rubin declined to comment on Android or its sale to Google. A spokesperson for the search giant would not elaborate on the deal, only stating: “We acquired Android because of the talented engineers and great technology. We’re thrilled to have them here.”
Google has been toiling to make its services more appealing to people who access the Net over cell phones and other mobile devices. In April, the company uncorked local-flavored search for mobile users. Also in April, it announced Google Short Message Service (SMS), which sends text-based information to mobile users seeking everything from driving directions to weather forecasts.
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